


hearts on fire

by keepthekettleon



Series: love write it in the sky [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alec Lightwood Deserves Nice Things, Alec stands up for himself, Alpha Magnus Bane, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Kinda, M/M, More tags to come as I go, Nesting, No Rape/Non-con, Omega Alec Lightwood, Omega Verse with a twist, Omegaverse turned on it's head, On Hold, Slow Burn, and you're good to go, give it some importance, just add a bit of consent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-11-15 21:22:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11239500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keepthekettleon/pseuds/keepthekettleon
Summary: Cause we’re dancing through the flamesNever burning brighterWith our hearts on fireRecklessly remainSlaves to desireWith our hearts on fireHearts on Fire - Hannah TrigwellLet’s turn the ABO-Universe on its head, by adding one simple thing. CONSENT.In a world where male Omegas are a sought out and cherished rarity, Alec Lightwood never thought he would find one willing to accept his courting, so he prepared himself to have to go all out on the ones that would. He had never thought that he would find himself on the other side of the equation, since him presenting as ANYTHING other than an Alpha or a Theta had been completely out of the question.  Up until the evening before his Presenting Ceremony.Magnus knew the unspoken rule that the rare male Omegas were to be left for the gay Alphas and that he should keep himself to the ladies. In theory, he knew. But then there was Alexander Gideon Lightwood. And he was just so goddamn irresistible.ON HOLD





	1. discovering yourself

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first shot at A/B/O and like everything else in this trope, DON'T question the science. And yes, I included a fourth gender (Theta's). Don't question its existence and just read it, everything you have to know will become clear as the story goes on.
> 
> Now enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song for this chapter: Discovering Yourself - Emma Shapplin

 

 _Mommy cries, Daddy lies_  
_Which way paradise?_  
_Everybody's in shock_  
_Don't lose control_  
_Daddy cries, Mommy lies_  
_What does it feel like_  
_Discovering yourself?_

_**Discovering Yourself - Emma Shapplin** _

* * *

Out of everything that he could have been, he turned out to be an Omega. Not an Alpha, like the firstborn son should be. Not a Theta, a valued workforce and someone to support the pack with manual labor. Not even a rare male Beta. No, he had to end up with the rarest possible gender, a male Omega.

Being attracted to men should have been the first indication, but since gay Alphas did exist, it hadn’t even crossed Alec’s mind twice that he might just be an Omega. He was the firstborn son, he was the one with the responsibility to lead the pack when his Dad was away, he couldn’t just lay back and let himself be courted now, could he?

And why hadn’t his parents told him sooner? Why wait until the last possible moment? Male Omegas were the only gender that didn’t necessarily have to present. They did anyways, at some point, when their heats would start up and their scent glands were fully developed, but it’s not like any other man would have a uterus in their stomach. A simple ultrasonography during the pregnancy would most likely have shown it, so his parents had known for over 18 years that their firstborn son was an Omega and had still given him all the tasks that were usually given to the Alpha son.

“Why? You knew I was an Omega. Why did you still treat me like I would someday present as an Alpha?” Alec stared down at his parents over the kitchen table.

“We didn’t want anyone to suspect anything. Anyone figuring out that you were an Omega, do you have any idea what repercussions that might have had?” Maryse was about to rise from her seat, but Robert touched her shoulder gently.

“Alec, we understand that you are upset about this…” Robert tried a more gentler approach, but Alec cut him off.

“Yes, I am! You told me it was a _phase_ when I told you I was gay! You know that almost all male Omegas are gay, so why did you think it was a phase with me?”

Robert took a deep breath. “Please try to understand that we only wanted what was best for you.”

“And you thought letting me believe I would someday be an Alpha, a Theta, if I got unlucky, would be best for me?”

“We wanted you to become a man in your own right before Alphas would come lining up at our door trying to court our son!”

Maryse chimed in again. “For your birthday tomorrow, I was thinking a small, family-centered ceremony, just us three with Jace and Isabelle. Then you could start using body wash and cologne to pass as Alpha or Theta, whichever you prefer…”

“No, Mother. I’m not lying about my gender.”

“Alec, please. We need you to keep your position in the pack and if you start presenting as an Omega, they won’t see you fit to lead anymore.” Maryse looked positively distraught.

“No. This isn’t the Dark Ages anymore.” The sound of a slammed kitchen door accompanied Alec outside.

It was true. Maybe once, a couple hundred years ago, Omegas had been seen as something “less than”, as something weak and fragile, something to be passed around and used as wished, but that hadn’t been the case for centuries. At least not since science had proven that emotional stress and physical harm could render Omegas temporarily or permanently infertile. The careless way in which Alphas in history had treated Omegas had almost caused them to push humanity to the brink of extinction. And they had learned from history.

Nevertheless, the thought of being an Omega, the thought that by tomorrow, everybody would know that he was an Omega, tied a knot in Alec’s stomach. He should be grateful, at least he didn’t have to wait until the Presenting Ceremony, he had an entire night to emotionally prepare for it, but still. He had been raised to be the Alpha, he had put so much effort in cultivating every quality a good Alpha should have while mentally preparing himself for the option that he could technically end up being a Theta, that he had completely disregarded the possibility of presenting as Omega.

Before he could continue further down that trail of thought, his sister interrupted. “Alec! Is everything okay?”

He turned around and even though was Izzy, he managed to fall back into his old pattern. “Yes, why wouldn’t it be?”

“We heard shouting and door-slamming and you didn’t come back to help decorate the living room for the after party tomorrow.” The look on her face unmistakably said ‘Don’t-you-dare-lie-to-me-brother’.

“Mom wants the Ceremony to be strictly family.”

As expected, this made Izzy forget about everything else. “You can’t be serious. We set up the place for at least 50 people! I planned everything! The seats, the decorations, the catering… I even organized a male Beta stripper for you! This was supposed _to be epic!_ ”

Her last words got swallowed by Alec’s shocked exclamation. “You did _WHAT?_ ”

“Shit.” Izzy muttered under her breath. Then she went on explaining. “It was supposed to be a surprise, Alec. I know how you never really get to explore your sexuality, so I figured I try and find someone. And I did. He’s super-hot though, so don’t make me call it off, please?”

“What’s going on out here?” Jace walked out of the living room.

“Mom wants to call off the party tomorrow.” Izzy almost whined.

“She wants to keep the ceremony strictly family.” Alec rectified.

Jace raised an eyebrow at Alec. “And that’s what you were arguing about in the kitchen? Because I recall you telling me just yesterday that you would like the guest list to be cut down to ten people.”

“I just said it would be a lot less trouble if only ten people would come.”

“So, what was that really about, Alec?” Izzy asked.

“She wants the ceremony to be strictly family so we can sweep the fact that I’m going to be presenting as Omega under the table.”

“You’re an… Oh my god, Alec, that is amazing!” Izzy squealed.

“Shhh…” Alec scolded her. “We don’t need anyone to know just now.”

Izzy lowered her voice to almost a whisper. “That’s amazing, Alec. I know how you’ve told me that you’d rather be an Omega. And now you are!”

“That was just… I never seriously thought about it. I just hypothetically thought it could be a nice thing! I have no idea what to do, who to be or how to act!”

“You’re an Omega. Just be yourself and you’ll be fine.” Izzy smiled reassuringly.


	2. stop holding your tongue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec's Presenting Ceremony doesn't go by without any incidents that leave him completely speechless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song for this Chapter: Brave - Sara Barreilles

_Don't run, just stop holding your tongue_  
_Maybe there's a way out of the cage where you live_  
_Maybe one of these days you can let the light in_  
_Show me how big your brave is_

**_Brave - Sara Bareilles_ **

* * *

 

The heavy white formal attire that Izzy had forced him into made Alec’s back drip with sweat. Behind those doors that led from the hallways into the spacious living room, were almost fifty people gathered to witness his Presenting Ceremony.

“It’s gonna be fine, Alec.” Izzy smiled.

Alec’s eyes wandered down to the colored sashes that Izzy had slung over her arm. “You’re really gonna bring all of them? We’re only gonna need one.”

“We wouldn’t want to ruin the anticipation for the guests now, would we?” But she had placed the green sash on top nevertheless.

Robert and Jace appeared in the hall. “You ready?” Jace beamed. “This is your big day!”

Alec nodded, the sudden nerves stealing his voice. This was it. This was his life changing moment. Not even the hours he spent lying in bed tonight, trying to imagine what it would be like to be an Omega, not just physically, but socially, had prepared him for this moment. What would the heats feel like? How would he be courted? How would he know who was the right one?

But none of those questions left his mouth. Something was off, but his father had already taken his place to Alec’s left, just a step behind him, and Jace waited to his right, ready for the ceremony.

Alec stepped forward towards the massive, wooden doors, his steps a thousand times more confident than he felt inside. Izzy gracefully took her place behind him to his right and Jace pushed down the door handles and swung the doors open.

The cheerful chatter died immediately as everybody turned to them in anticipation.

Jace’ booming voice cut through the silence as smoothly as a knife through warm butter. “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have all gathered here today for a most happy occasion. The Presenting Ceremony of my big brother.” Alec stepped forward, his sister and his father closely behind. “May I introduce to you…” Jace had slightly lowered the volume of his voice. “… Alexander Gideon Lightwood. My father will now continue.”

Robert stepped out of Alec’s shadow. “I am proud of what my son had accomplished in his short life. Today is the day that will determine which course he will take from now on. We are all looking forward to integrating him and his unique talents into our family, our pack, our clan and our society.” He closed in on Alec again. “My son. Please allow me?”

Alec dutifully tilted his head to the side to grant his father better access to his neck. Robert dragged his nose up Alec’s neck and inhaled deeply before turning back around.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my absolute pleasure to present to you my son, the Theta Alexander Gideon Lightwood.”

And Alec’s world stopped. Everything went silent as the one word kept ringing in his ears. Theta. His father had just presented him as a Theta. A quick look at Izzy, who was about to pull out the brown sash from underneath the green one, and time started up again. “No.” He whispered into the silent room that only waited for his sister to put the sash on him. Only then the cheers would erupt.

Izzy looked at Alec as if to make sure he meant it. “Really?”

Alec only gave her a small nod. Gulping hard, she grabbed the green sash and put it around his shoulder. Green for Omega.

Not able to look at his father, Alec’s eyes searched for his brother. And there he was, with a proud smile on his face. But the absolute helplessness in Alec’s eyes didn’t escape his notice. Alec might have been brave enough to stand up to his parents yesterday alone, but this was something they had to push through together. As siblings.

Jace stepped up to Alec and guided him a few steps forward while Izzy pulled their father into the background. Most of the people in the front had realized that something had gone wrong and started whispering.

“May I have your attention, please?” Jace called out. “I’m sorry for the momentary confusion. Please allow me to rectify the mistake that was made.” He made a heavy pause that was only slightly interrupted by Izzy’s angry whispers to their father. “I may now present to you, my friend and brother Alec Lightwood, the first male Omega that the Lightwood pack has had in generations.” The room erupted in cheers and Jace waited for them to calm down, before he continued. “Please allow us a minor breach of protocol and give us a few minutes before Alec will accept your gifts and congratulations.” He pulled Alec aside. “Hey, are you okay?”

“No.” Alec shook his head. “But I… I can’t…” He swallowed hard. “I don’t wanna… I…”

Jace pulled him into a tight hug. “It’s okay. Just tell me what you need me to do to get you through the ceremony.”

Alec turned to look at his father, who was standing with Izzy near the doors, looking exasperated and Izzy, who was relentlessly talking to him in her whispered voice that only barely suppressed her anger. Not that it helped much, her face gave her disappointment away anyways.

“I don’t know. I just don’t wanna look at him or Mom right now. I… just stay with me, please?”

“Of course.”

The tension visibly rippled off of Alec. “Thank you.”

Jace clasped his hand on Alec’s shoulder. “Come on. Let’s do this.”

They joined the guests again and everyone personally introduced themselves to Alec.

“Lydia Branwell, representing the Alicante pack.” The blonde woman approached him. “It is my absolute pleasure to meet you.” Something about her made Alec immediately feel at ease in a way that totally perplexed him. She must have noticed his confusion, because she smiled kindly and explained. “I’m a Beta. Our pheromones have a relaxing effect on stressed Omegas or aggressive Alphas. I take that you’ve never met one before?”

Alec suddenly managed to smile back. “No, but Betas _are_ kind of rare. I’ve heard of your ability and I have to say, I’m impressed and rather thankful that you’re here today.”

“I’m always happy to be of service. Please accept this gift from my pack and our best wishes.” She handed him a small wrapped parcel. “I hope you like it. If you wish, I could stay nearby, in case anything unpleasant happens?”

Alec had already opened his mouth to politely refuse, when his eye fell on the man behind her. “That would be great, thank you.”

Lydia stepped aside with a small nod and the two men behind her approached.

The smile on the older one’s face was downright predatory. “Valentine Morgenstern. This is my son, Sebastian.” The implication was unmistakable and Alec would have realized that they were both Alphas anyways by the way they carried themselves, without having his nose surprisingly supplying him with that information. _‘So this is what Alphas smell like’_ The thought flitted through his mind. He couldn’t say he liked the smell very much, especially not the stench coming from Valentine. Sebastian smelled better though.

And then suddenly the smells in the room almost overstimulated his senses. The sweet flavor of champagne, the faint hint of spicy food coming from the adjacent kitchen and the different scents of the people in the room snowballed him all at once.

Valentine continued to talk while Alec tried to get used to the new sensation. It felt like he had just woken up and someone had turned on the lights and outright refused to turn them off again. It stung in his nose and he tried his best to not start frowning.

Jace noticed his distress. As fast as politely possible, he shooed Valentine and his son away, before turning to Alec. “Everything okay?”

“Did you use Izzy’s shampoo in the morning?”

“What?” Jace asked perplexed.

“I can smell it from here. Just like I can tell you that Valentine’s scent is disgusting, Sebastian smells weirdly sweet and that guy approaching us is a Theta.” Alec answered in a low voice.

Jace’ eyes widened as the realization hit him. “You just got the smelling superpower.”

“Whatever.” Alec rolled his eyes. “It’s just a bit much.”

“You wanna take a break?”

“No, that guy looks interesting.” Alec answered.

‘That guy’ carried a much larger parcel than the ones before and placed it on the table next to Jace. “My name is Raphael Santiago. I’m from the DuMort Clan. Our Alpha wishes to let you know that she is very disappointed to not be here today. May I ask if she’ll be welcomed here for courting?”

“I’m not throwing her out, but I’m not that much of an exception that I want a female Alpha as my mate. Sorry.”

“I had to promise that I’d ask and Camille is not the kind of person that you can refuse.” Raphael shrugged.

“Don’t worry. I’m not offended.”

“Thank you.” Raphael nodded slightly and turned away.

The rest of the introductions didn’t go much different. By the time they were through, Alec was so worn out that he wanted to fall into his bed immediately and it was only noon. But Izzy had planned the after-party and Alec didn’t have the heart to leave when she had specifically done all this with him in mind.

His Mom had conjured up an amazing meal with the help of their Thetas. As everyone was chatting around him, he fought against the fatigue that threatened to overwhelm him.

Silently, he excused himself and dashed off into the kitchen. Coffee. The only thing that would prevent him from falling asleep right now was coffee. He cooled the fresh coffee with an enormous amount of cold milk and gulped it all down. It still tasted bitter and Alec didn’t particularly like the taste – who was he kidding, he hated the bitter tang of coffee – but it did the job. Five minutes later, he felt awake enough to go back and sit down.

Lunch passed rather uneventful. The after-party was where Izzy’s talent truly showed. The entire room transformed into a nightclub and it didn’t take long until the guests were sitting at the improvised bar or dancing on the dancefloor. Alec really admired the way Izzy could host a spectacular party, but he couldn’t shake off the feeling that he was somehow out of place. The partying and the people, that was Izzy’s world, not his. Plus, he felt the caffeine slowly losing its effect.

“Alec!” He heard his sister shouting over the music. Slowly, he left his place near the wall and made his way over to her.

She was standing next to a chair by the dancefloor. As soon as he got to her, she forced him into it and smiled. “I have a present for you.” She snapped her fingers and the music changed. The crowd parted as a scantily clad young man emerged and made his way over to Alec and Izzy.

“You didn’t.” Alec sighed.

“I told you I wasn’t calling it off. C’mon Alec, just enjoy it.” Izzy sounded slightly tipsy. “And he is hot, you have to admit that.”

“Nerds are more your type than mine. Objectively speaking, yes, he’s kinda hot, but he’s just not my type.” He was way too tired to really sound enthusiastic, even though he knew how disappointed it would make his sister.

“Please, Alec. Just enjoy the show.”

Sighing, Alec leaned back and relaxed. He barely even protested when the guy came closer and went in for a lap dance.

Izzy smiled. This had been a good day. She was still furious at their Dad for trying to push Alec into passing as a Theta, but since the rest of the day had gone over smoothly, she filed it as a success. And now she got to watch a hot stripper giving her brother a lap dance.

What she didn’t expect was for said stripper to get off in the middle of the performance with the words “I’m not doing this.”

“What?” She exclaimed. “Why? What happened?”

“He’s clearly not interested. He’s fucking _snoring_!”

“I’m sorry, Simon.” She apologized to the brown-haired Beta. “I didn’t think he would be that tired.”

“Well, we can’t change that now. But I want my money anyways.”

“You could give me that lapdance. I’m indefinitely more interested than he is.” Izzy suggested.

“Why not…” Simon shrugged. He pushed her into the nearest empty chair and whispered. “Enjoy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a Google Form for you to vote whether or not you want a "Behind the Scenes"-Chapter to explain Thetas and general genetics used in this fic. I personally didn't think that you would be confused by that. (Or were you simply impatient and don't want to wait until the story explains it?)
> 
> https://goo.gl/forms/IoCTGDuNy49dcQTZ2
> 
> That's it for this week, hopefully I'll write another chapter until next week, if not, well... not much that either of us can do about it.


	3. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically a fluffy sibling chapter with a biiiiit of drama? Roberts action has consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 10 people voted on that genetics poll (thanks btw), all of those voted yes or something similar. So as you can see, I turned this into a series and the second story will be the explanation. It will have 4 chapters that won't be posted at the same time. 
> 
> The first chapter (the genetics) will go online along with this chapter. 
> 
> If and when I'll post the other chapters as well, we'll see, because chapters 3 and 4 (even though the third one still covers the biology) are basically about world building and not genetics and I'm not sure if I wanna give you that information right now. 
> 
> If there's anything you would like me to consider regarding this topic, leave a comment down below.

Surprised, Alec found himself in his bed the next morning. When he tried to remember the previous night, everything went kinda blurry after Izzy’s party had started. The only thing that stayed on his mind as clear as day was that he really hadn’t enjoyed himself.

The shower washed off most of his fatigue and what he saw the moment he entered the kitchen got rid of it completely.

“Let me help you with that.” He smiled at Izzy and carefully took the frying pan out of her hands. “Why don’t you get the milk for me?” It wasn’t guaranteed that she wouldn’t manage to screw that up too, but at least the chances and the consequences would be less severe than if she could continue to make scrambled eggs and bacon.

“So, how did the party go yesterday?” Any conversation that would stir her trail of thought away from the fact that she was no longer in charge of cooking breakfast, was a good conversation.

“It was _amazing_. Almost all invited guests actually came! The Edom Pack Alpha didn’t come, which is a bummer, ‘cause I heard that he’s the life of any party. But you…” She turned around and poked Alec in the back. “You had to go and fall asleep in the middle of a lap dance! I mean, I shouldn’t be complaining since I got on instead because of that, but _amigo_ , you don’t fall asleep when a hot man is grinding his ass against your crotch! Sometimes I really question your gayness.”

“Don’t worry, my gayness is perfectly fine. Maybe there’s something wrong with _you_ and your choice of men for me.” He smirked.

Izzy punched him in response.

“Ouch! What was that for?!”

“There’s nothing wrong with me.” She tried to look at him with a stern face, but the barely suppressed smile made it look utterly ridiculous. “Where was I? Oh, right. You fell asleep while Simon was dancing. Did you even pay attention to his performance at all?” Then, completely out of the blue and in a dreamy voice, she added. “I really wanna have his babies.”

Alec turned around and raised an eyebrow. “He’s a Beta. Having kids isn’t exactly an option.”

“Don’t.” Izzy raised her fist again. “Don’t ruin my perfect little fantasy or I swear, I’ll punch you again.”

“It’s not my fault that you neglect basic biology in your fantasies.”

Jace picked that exact moment to make his entrance. “What’s going on here?”

“Nothing.” They both replied slightly off sync and Izzy lowered her hand that had hovered inches from Alec’s arm.

“Sure.” Jace’ look gave away that he didn’t believe them. “How’re you?” He asked Alec.

“Fine. Mostly. I’m still pissed at Dad.”

The siblings fell quiet as they remembered the moment.

“I still don’t understand why he did it.” Jace broke the silence.

Alec shook his head. “Let’s just… not talk about it, okay?”

“Okay.” Izzy agreed, if only reluctant. “So how do you wanna do the Courting?”

“What?” Alec replied, dumbfounded.

“The Courting? I mean, as soon as word gets out that you’re an Omega, the Alphas will come running. We could have our own little season of The Bachelor here! How do you wanna choose the right mate? You wanna distribute roses, kisses or chocolate chip cookies? Should I do an application form thingy so you can decide which candidates you like most? Or do you personally want to talk with everyone that wants to court you? Do you want someone else to choose the best matches?”

“What? Slow down. That’s not...” Alec interrupted Izzy’s speech. “You know I love you, Izzy, but that’s too much. I found out that I’m an Omega two days ago and I don’t even know… I don’t know what that means. I need my routine back first.”

Izzy swallowed. “Sorry. I got a bit carried away there. But being an Omega is so much _fun_!”

Alec made his typical ‘What the fuck’-face. “Whatever. Jace, hand me the tomatoes?”

Efficient and subtle, Jace and Alec excluded Izzy from the cooking, until they had her sitting at the kitchen table, ranting about the party, while they both finished breakfast.

Of course, even after they started eating, Izzy didn’t stop talking and barely ate a thing.

Alec finished first and left Jace and Izzy to clean the dishes. The party yesterday had still produced some bills that demanded to be paid. But no matter how hard he tried to focus on his work, his mind constantly drifted off.

What were Omegas even supposed to do? How would the heats feel like? Of course, Izzy had been right, he had played with the thought of being an Omega. Who wouldn’t want love interests chasing after them? But it had only been a nice fantasy, nothing more. The thought of someone like Valentine Morgenstern trying to court him sent shivers down his spine. Could he really just send any Alpha that he didn’t like away? Wouldn’t that offend the pack? Someone like Valentine wouldn’t take a “No” that easily.

He would get pregnant. At some time in his life, there would be a child growing inside of him. The thought hit him like a ton of bricks.

He was supposed to bottom. Not that the thought had appalled him in any way before, but still. He had always expected to be the one on top. But as an Omega, he was supposed to bottom. And as soon as his mind jumped to the more explicit details, he shut down that trail of thought.

No. Just no. That… He wouldn’t be thinking about sex now.

Luckily, Izzy peaked into his office just at that. “Someone called for you. They wanna know if they can send one of their Alphas for courting.” The small grin on her face added an unspoken ‘I told you so.’

“Can’t they at least give us a week? The Ceremony was _yesterday!_ ” Alec hissed, but immediately apologized. “Sorry. I’m just a bit… I don’t know.”

“It’s okay. Everyone’s a bit on edge today. Dad especially. It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not. I shouldn’t be mad at you for nothing. Wait, why is Dad pissed?”

“He got some pretty angry calls from some other Alphas. They weren’t exactly happy that he tried to make you pass as a Theta. Some even threatened to terminate the trade contracts.” Izzy closed the door behind her. “That, of course, set Mom off and so on. Jace left to go hunting half an hour ago.”

“That’s stupid. We need those contracts!” Alec shut his laptop and pushed his chair back.

Izzy shrugged. “I know.”

There was a loud knock on the door, before it was pushed open. “Alec, we need to talk.”

Alec took a deep breath and fought down the urge to roll his eyes. “What is it, mom?”

Izzy silently disappeared.

Maryse pulled up a chair, but didn’t sit down. “What you did yesterday was unacceptable. How could you embarrass your father like that?! We are losing our good standing with the other packs because of your rebellious little stunt!”

“Don’t you dare blame that on me.” Alec got up to the same level with his mother. “That one’s on you.”

“Anyways.” Maryse pretended to overhear him. “If we wanna fix this, you will have to start courting as soon as possible to reduce any damage and strengthen the bonds with at least one other pack. Valentine has explicitly stated his son’s interest in you and I expect you to take that very seriously into consideration. The Circle Pack is very powerful and an alliance would be really beneficial for all of us.”

Alec raised an eyebrow as if to ask if she was planning on continuing. “If that’s all…” He looked suggestively at the door. “I have work to get done.”

This ‘work’ basically consisted of calling Jace and asking if he could join him, before leaving the office and running off into the forest. The Lightwoods owned the largest woodland in the area and were the only ones that could actually afford to trade some of their wood. That, of course, meant that there was less space for other things, such as farming. Trading was essential for most packs and if those trading contracts would get annulled, Alec didn’t even want to imagine what that could mean for them. Even though every pack was essentially self-sustaining, there were certain things that only some packs had the resources to produce or had specialized in.

Alec caught up to Jace near the border to the Alicante pack.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this happened. And I wrote that little "bonus-scene" that I didn't feel like ending the chapter one, so I just thought I'd add it here.
> 
> \--------------------
> 
> “I didn’t expect you to find me that fast.” Jace greeted him.  
> “I can smell you now, you know.” Alec deadpanned. “So, what did you want to do? Hunt some… ducks?”  
> Jace looked at him terrified. “No!” He exclaimed.  
> “Gosh, Jace, don’t be such a baby. They’re just sweet little yellow fluffballs.”  
> “Or evil, eye-pecking monsters when they grow up. I’m starting to regret letting you come.”  
> Alec lifted his bow and let an arrow fly. “No, you don’t. I actually hit something.”  
> “That sounded like a challenge to me…” Jace smiled and dashed off. “Let’s go and hunt something.”  
> They didn’t return home until late at night when everybody was already asleep. “Thank you, Jace. You know, for letting me tag along.”  
> “Hey, you’re my brother. Of course you could come.”
> 
> \--------------------
> 
> See you next time! (I already wrote the next chapter and let me tell you this: Magnus makes his appearance!!! Are you excited?! Because I am and I already know what happens...) Should come next Monday or Tuesday.
> 
> The Genetics are now online. ( http://archiveofourown.org/works/11263194/ bc it's not showing up for some reason) Please subscribe to the entire series if you don't want to miss an update.
> 
> If you'd like, leave a comment or Kudos down below, I really appreciate it!


	4. First Encounters and Risky Gifts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Alpha we've all been waiting for finally makes his appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I know I said this would go online Monday or Tuesday, but I don't think you're complaining about getting this chapter a day early, right?)
> 
> I'm kinda proud of this chapter? Please enjoy the thing we've all been waiting for...
> 
> Let's play a game, shall we? "Spot the quote"  
> I have used quite a few in this chapter. Who can spot every single quote from the show that I used?

“Did you even open your gifts yet?” Izzy asked Alec when he entered the living room.

“No, why’re you asking?” He replied suspiciously.

“It’s been a week.” She made it sound like that was already reason enough.

Alec stopped by the table where the presents still waited, untouched since the givers had left them there. Really, why hadn’t he? “You wanna do it now?” He suggested.

Izzy’s face lightened up. “Yes, yes, yes, YES! Let me just get some scissors.” She dashed off.

Soon they were sitting on the floor, wrapping paper all around them, while Izzy was writing a list of who gave him what and was already jotting down ideas for what to write in the thank-you cards. Most gifts were specific to the specialty of the respective pack. The Alicante Pack had given him a small, subtle adamas bracelet. But the weirdest gift was definitely the one from the DuMort Pack. It looked like a gravestone. Alec didn’t want to believe that it was one, but it sure as hell looked like one.

The doorbell rang while Alec was still staring at the grey stone, mortified. He only registered the sound when a Theta came into the living room and interrupted them. “Sorry to interrupt, but we have a visitor. Should I invite him in?”

Alec looked up. “Of course! Beatriz, don’t tell me you left him standing at the door.” Hastily, he scrambled on his feet. “Who is it?”

“I’ve never met him before, but he says his name is Magnus Bane, Alpha of the Edom Pack?” She replied questioningly.

Now it was Izzy’s turn to jump up. “And you didn’t immediately invite him in? The Edom Pack is the most powerful pack in our area! Did he say why he came?”

Poor Beatriz looked almost scared. “N-no… I don’t think so?”

Alec straightened himself up. “I’ll go and see why he’s here, alright?”

Izzy and Beatriz stared after him and shrugged.

When Alec entered the entrance hall, it seemed empty. But the lingering scent of ‘Alpha’ convinced him that this Magnus Bane had to be here somewhere. After a quick look around, he noticed the Alpha standing in front of the portrait of Gideon Lightwood, his back turned to Alec.

Alec picked up a confident pace and approached him. Even though Magnus must have heard Alec, he only slowly turned around. All sentient thought suddenly left Alec’s mind and the warm welcome he had wanted to give the other pack leader got stuck in his throat. That man was gorgeous.

Magnus didn’t seem to have the same problem. “Alexander Lightwood, I presume? I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced? Since I couldn’t make it to your ceremony and all. I’m Magnus.” He extended the perfectly manicured hand.

Still kinda dumbstruck, Alec grabbed it. “A-Alec.” He stuttered and immediately wanted to slap himself in the face. Hadn’t Magnus just said his name? “I... erm, we should – do you want to… maybe, come inside or…” _Damnit Alec, snap out of it!_ He scolded himself mentally. Did that man have to be so fucking handsome? “What I’m trying to say is… Would you like to… come in and we can… discuss whatever… brought you here?” At least he managed to speak a complete sentence this time.

Surprisingly, Magnus didn’t seem to be weirded out by his sudden lacking ability to speak properly and smiled. “That sounds lovely.”

Not sure whether or not the kitchen would be clean and ready to receive a guest like the handsome Alpha of the powerful Edom Pack, Alec guided Magnus into his office. “Coffee? Tea?” He asked. After the initial shock of handsomeness, Alec was grateful to find that his grace had somehow not left him completely. “Please, you can sit anywhere you’d like.” Not like there was much of a choice.

Magnus gracefully settled down on one of the chairs. “A cup of tea would be wonderful, thank you.”

While Alec poured him a cup of tea, Magnus decided to take a look around the room. The family picture on his desk, the fluffy carpet and the generally cozy interior design of this office, compared to the rather cold look of the rest of the house, made him hyperaware that this was Alec’s _nest_. But judging by the nonchalant way that the latter had led him in here, he probably wasn’t even aware himself.

And it smelled heavenly in here. Like citrus with a hint of something darker that he couldn’t quite place. Pine, maybe fir. It didn’t take Magnus long to realize that it was Alec that had given this room his own, distinct scent. The small sound of the teacup getting placed on the desk snapped him out of his thoughts.

“What’s that?” Alec pointed at the package leaning next to Magnus. He could have sworn that Magnus didn’t bring anything with him, but then again, he had very likely just been distracted by Magnus’ handsome face. He really should stop putting such an emphasis on Magnus good looks.

Magnus looked to his left. “Oh, that’s for you, my dear.” The endearment had just slipped out by habit, but Alec didn’t seem to mind or maybe he just hadn’t noticed. “Since I couldn’t attend the ceremony, I thought I’d drop it off myself.” He rose again and took Alec’s hand in his. “My congratulations, Mr. Lightwood.”

And Alec did the one thing he swore he’d never do. He blushed furiously.

With a small smile, Magnus picked up the package and handed it to Alec with a flourish. “I hope you like it.”

“Should I open it right now?” Alec asked.

“It’s yours. You can do whatever you like.”

Alec placed the package on his desk and cut it open with a box cutter before cautiously opening up the lid. A quick look upwards told him that Magnus was anticipating his reaction and he quickly opened the box completely.

Inside was a beautiful compound bow that made Alec’s jaw drop. But seeing a beautiful bow and being able to shoot it were two totally different things. Having a bow crafted without actually consulting the prospective owner was a risky thing to do. Draw length, draw weight, eye dominance, all those things that you had to know before you could make a custom bow. And that definitely was a custom bow. So even though it looked stunning, Alec was a bit wary.

Carefully, he lifted the bow out of the box. It felt light in his hand. He dropped and caught it a few times to get used to the weight. This bow was way lighter than the one he was used to, but that shouldn’t be too much of a trouble, as long as the bow wouldn’t start jumping because of it.

Then he realized that Magnus was still waiting for a reaction and looked up. “Thank you. That’s… wow.”

Magnus frowned. “Is something wrong?”

“No!” Did he come off as ungrateful? “I just can’t… I’ll have to try it out first.” Alec quickly turned away and opened one of the cabinets. Magnus’ eyes widened at the variety of different arrows, stored away in colorful or camouflaged quivers.

Alec picked one, but laid it aside again. Slowly, he lifted the bow and drew it. Magnus shamelessly stared at the way Alec’s arm muscles flexed under the prolonged strain. That man was something else. That he smelled like citrus and fir didn’t help the tiniest bit.

Just as slowly as he had drawn the bow, Alec relaxed the string again and repeated the motion a few times. Then he stood up just a bit straighter and pulled the bowstring all the way back. The stop felt nice and solid and Alec smiled. This time, he only relaxed the string a little, testing out how long it would take for it to jerk his arm forward with the string. For a fast bow, like the one this was obviously designed to be, it took long enough.

Thus far, this bow had passed with flying colors. But it really came down to how it behaved while shooting. He opened the window.

As Magnus watched Alec carefully take the arrow, the full realization that Alec really knew what he was doing, washed over him. Did he honestly think that giving an archer a gift that represented everything he was good at, would be a good idea? But there wasn’t much that he could do about that now.

Alec gently placed the arrow on the bowstring and aimed for the tree about a hundred feet away. No living thing was in sight. Closing his eyes, he drew the string back and released the arrow. Almost nothing was heard, except for the whirring of the arrow and the light buzz of the released string right next to his ear. A faint clunk told him that he had hit something solid.

Magnus didn’t dare to speak. The silence seemed so important and almost ritual as Alec went to get a second arrow.

This time, Alec closed his eyes again, but concentrated on the feeling of the bow in his hand instead. Without really aiming, he drew the string back and let go. The bow stayed rock solid in his hand. It didn’t jump when he released the string, just a light buzz was felt. That really surprised him. Light and fast bows usually jumped very easily, but this one was almost dead in his hand.

When he turned around, Magnus looked at him expectantly and almost a bit nervous.

“And?” It took Magnus a lot of concentration to not bite his lip. “Has it passed the test?"

Now that his senses were heightened from the concentration, Alec noticed something else that threw him off once again.

Magnus scent.

Gosh, how hadn’t he noticed that before? The normally a bit too spicy edge of nutmeg was softened by the sweet scent of cinnamon and it was intoxicating. It just put an emphasis on the fact that Magnus was an Alpha, something Alec had almost forgotten. If he were a Theta, he wouldn’t have this problem now. Ever since he presented, every Alpha that wasn’t his father distracted him and he hated it. He was a leader, damnit! He wasn’t supposed to behave like that, like a needy little Omega that wanted to jump every Alpha that smelled somewhat attractive.

“Sorry.” Alec muttered when he realized he had been staring at Magnus. “It’s amazing. Thank you.”

Magnus slowly exhaled the breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding. “You’re welcome.”

Alec put the bow back into the box and sat down. “So, what did you come here for?”

Magnus really hadn’t planned to do anything more than to deliver his gift, but now that this gorgeous Omega was standing in front of him, he couldn’t help himself. “Not much more than to hand over my present for you. But I can’t help but ask if you’d like to go out for a drink sometime?”

“That sounds fun…” Everything in him screamed ‘yes, yes, yes’ but he really couldn’t come off as needy. “Why not. When?”

“That’s entirely up to you. I’m sure you already had your fair share of proposals. Whenever you can is fine by me.”

Alec frowned a bit. “Actually, I haven’t.” And now he started wondering why that was. In his head, he quickly skimmed over his schedule. He was about to suggest the next week when he remembered that the Edom pack lands weren’t exactly nearby and that Magnus would have to travel back here again. “What about tomorrow?”

Magnus smiled. “Sounds perfect. I’ll pick you up at seven?”

Alec nodded while trying to seem nonchalant. “Let me walk you out?”

But as soon as the front door had closed behind the Alpha, Alec broke into a grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how many quotes did you see?
> 
> I've been doing excessive research for the archery part, so everything should be accurate.
> 
> And I did just as much research for the scents. I mean, who else would be standing in the kitchen like a moron, smelling their mothers herbs, just to figure out what combination smells PERFECT for Magnus? (And then my Mom came in... I'm wondering why she looked at me like I had lost my marbles when I asked her if she would mind smelling nutmeg mixed with cinnamon?) But I can guarantee you, Magnus smells amazing. I never thought nutmeg and cinnamon would work, but actually, the cinnamon really takes the edge off the nutmeg. I didn't wanna go for sandalwood because sandalwood doesn't equal sandalwood and I feel like it's too cliché for Magnus?
> 
> About the nesting. It is a bit different than usual, with the nest being his entire office, but we're going to get into that later on.
> 
> See you next time!
> 
> BTW, the Outtakes and the 3rd Generation are now online in the Worldbuilding document. (for all you science geeks out there)


	5. Much Ado about Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izzy really wants to help Alec. Alec really doesn't wanna get courted. Plus, Ragnor gets introduced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this chapter. I think it's one of the chapters where I really managed to write what Alec wants.
> 
> Third Chapter about General Biology and the Social Aspects of said Biology is now online in the Worldbuilding document. ChocoSenpai tried to solve my XY-chromosome problem and I am so grateful for it. Comments and critique of their work are also in that chapter, along with the changes made because of those calculations. I was so overwhelmed when I saw what they did, it was amazing.

 “So, you’re going on a date with Magnus Bane tonight?” Alec had no idea how that name could sound like an insult coming from his mother’s lips. How did she even figure that out?

“Yes, is there a problem with that?”

“You haven’t even officially accepted suitors yet, and still you’re going out with the Alpha of the Edom Pack? We already talked to Valentine. You said you would let Sebastian court you. How does that make us look when you’re now going out with Magnus Bane?” Maryse placed her fork down.

“I didn’t say that. Plus, it’s just a date. If you want to, I’ll go out with Sebastian next week.” Alec rolled his eyes, but internally, he wondered if he’d made a mistake. Was he letting Magnus court him? But it was just a date! Thetas went on dates all the time. Unpresented kids went on dates all the time. Why would a date between an Alpha and an Omega automatically be seen as courting?

Izzy chimed in. “Do you also wanna go on a date with the twenty other Alphas that called since your ceremony?”

Alec almost choked on his lasagna. “What?” He stopped to get his coughing back under control before went on. “Twenty? How am I supposed to…” He trailed off to let out another disbelieving “What? How?”

“Word spreads fast.” Somehow noticing the panic that started to bubble up in Alec, she added. “Don’t worry. You tell me what you want and I’ll deal with them.”

Alec gulped. How did he get such a perfect little sister? “Thank you.” But his mind was still with the courting. He didn’t want it. Should he cancel with Magnus? He was a leader, a problem solver. Not someone to be wooed into submission. What if Magnus would try exactly that? What if he wanted a pretty little Omega to show off? What if every Alpha wanted that? Because what more were Omegas really? Of course, the laws prevented Omegas from being assaulted, and they were cherished, but an Omega was still a status symbol of the Alpha. The pretty pendant, loved and valued but not really making a difference in the world. But he wanted to, so badly. He wanted so badly to make a difference. But being an Omega, he would never get the chance, especially if he chose an Alpha. As unmated Omega, he would at least be able to lead the pack until Jace presented. Because now Jace had to be an Alpha. Jace would get to take his place. And not that Alec could think of anyone better fitted for the position, he still felt replaced.

Izzy tapped his arm. “Hey, you okay?” Their mother was no longer in the room.

“What… yeah, why?”

“You’ve been staring at the wall for the past ten minutes.” Izzy raised an eyebrow.

“I was just… thinking.”

“About what?” She prompted.

Alec shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. Nothing I can change anyways.”

“Alec… c’mon. You know you can tell me anything.”

“It’s not…” Alec took a deep breath. “Should I cancel the date?”

Izzy looked at him as if he’s lost his mind. “What? Why? No!”

“I just don’t want him to think I’m easy.” Alec bit his lower lip.

“Why would going on a date with him make you seem easy?”

“He asked me out after knowing me for not even an hour and I said yes!”

“I don’t see the problem.” Izzy shrugged. “People go on dates without having met before all the time.”

“But it’s not a date, is it? It’s courting.” Alec pushed his plate away.

“And that’s important how?”

“I don’t… Izzy! That means that… I just don’t wanna be… What if I’m just a trophy? What if I’m just the Omega he wants to show off to his friends? ‘Look who I managed to score! Isn’t he a pretty little thing?’ What then? I don’t want to be anyone’s Omega. I don’t want to belong to anyone that persuaded me long enough with gifts and affections until I gave in!”

“Oh, big brother…” Izzy sighed. “Then we’ll just have to weed those out. But please, go out with Magnus tonight. Have some fun. Get to know him. Figure out his intentions. But…” She dragged out the u unnecessarily long and raised her index finger at him. “… be subtle about it, for God’s sake! Meanwhile I’ll come up with something to test your suitors…” She made a dramatic pause. “…and reveal their true personalities and motives.”

Alec rolled his eyes. “You already sound like you’re hosting a casting show.”

“Yes, exactly! You’re choosing one out of twenty-two suitors. There’s no other way to do that!” Izzy sounded way too excited for Alec’s taste.

“Calm down, Iz. I didn’t even say yes yet.”

“Oh, but you will.” Izzy placed her hand on Alec’s shoulder. “Because I’m right. You don’t want to keep all twenty-two Alphas hoping, up until the last day. You don’t want them all swarming around you like vultures in the desert. We need a selection process. Maybe Omegas who get five courting proposals could do it the way you want to, but you have at least twenty-two people to choose from. Quite possibly, there will be even more. You need a way to decide fast and efficient who you don’t want. Let me handle it. Please, Alec.”

Alec sighed. “Okay. But you talk to me before you do anything.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Izzy hugged him tightly “I will make this per-fect. Now, what are you gonna wear for your date tonight?”

“I…” Alec had to admit that he had no idea.

“Okay, I see.” Izzy got up. “We’re gonna fix that problem.” When Alec made no attempts to follow her, she waved at him. “C’mon Alec. We’re gonna find you something.”

On the way to Alec’s room, she asked. “So, did he say anything about where you’ll be going?”

“Drinks, I think?”

“Oh, good. Then we’ll actually have a chance of finding something suiting in your closet.”

Half an hour later, Izzy was finally content with his outfit. Not too flashy, just a black shirt with a jacket, black pants, and fancy shoes. He actually felt comfortable in it.

But when she started to bring out her makeup bag, he immediately put a veto on it. “No, Izzy. No makeup.”

“But…” Izzy tried to complain.

“No.”

Sighing, Izzy put it away again. “But I’m sure you’ll look amazing with some mascara.”

“I guess we’ll never know. Thanks for the outfit, but I’m gonna take a shower. Magnus is picking me up in half an hour.”

Merely a few streets away, said Alpha was close to having a panic attack. With the phone on speaker on the table, he paced the small motel room where he had checked in for the night. “I asked him for a date, Ragnor. A _date._ Robert _Lightwood’s_ son. Well, for drinks, really… but I’m in his pack’s territory. Where am I supposed to take him? I don’t know any places around here! And I haven’t even brought a suiting outfit. I didn’t plan on asking him out!”

“Magnus. That’s why you’re calling me? Look, I'm happy that you're finally trying to get yourself an Omega, although I can't fathom why it has to be a Lightwood, but it’s not like I can help you with that. And if you need a pep talk, better call Catarina.” Ragnor grumbled.

“But you were with the Alicante Pack for years!”

“Yes, and Lightwood and Alicante have both massive lands and villages scattered throughout those lands. The last time I was somewhere near the Institute was at least twenty years ago. Why don’t you just take a look around?”

“I did. I didn’t find anything.” Magnus exclaimed exasperated.

“Okay.” Ragnor sighed. “The last time I was there, and remember that back then, Robert was a little kid, there was a small, cozy bar in Thornton Street on the corner to Bells Lane. I think it was called Lonely Hunter. It’s really on the outskirts of town. But I guarantee for nothing. Could have closed down ten years ago for all I know.”

“Thank you, Ragnor.”

“Don’t thank me too soon. Have fun with that boy and stop pestering me.” The beep in the line told Magnus that Ragnor had hung up.

A quick glance at the clock. Twenty minutes left. No time to go looking for that bar if he wanted to be on time. He would officially be Alexander’s worst date ever. Either he was late, sweaty or wouldn’t know where to take him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think about Alec's view of what an Omega is supposed to be? Is he right? How will the date go? 
> 
> \------------- angry rant about 2x12 coming up! ---------------
> 
> So, I know this is a bit late, but I have to rant about this. You all remember episode 2x12, you know, the one we all wanna forget because Imogen hurt our lovely Magnus and Alec didn’t realize it? There was one thing in that episode that bothered me immensely. 
> 
> Some of you may have noticed that I am an absolute nerd. And in my Shadowhunter group chat, I’m known as the “rune fanatic” (Because I literally have a picture of every single canon rune on my laptop). So let’s talk about that agony rune, shall we? Because that rune does exist in canon, just not the way you might think.
> 
> There are only a few frames where you can actually see the rune well enough to identify it and when I saw it, I was shocked. Because I couldn’t believe that that rune looked exactly like the mirrored version (I don’t know if the video clip that I saw was mirrored because of copyright or not) of the “Agony” rune that Clary invented for Jace in City of Heavenly Fire. A rune that was, as the ones who read the books may remember, a healing rune. 
> 
> NOT A FUCKING TORTURE RUNE FOR GODS SAKE!!!! 
> 
> I mean, I honestly don’t know what went wrong there. Did the writers just saw that there was a rune that was called “Agony” and were like “Ok, let’s take that rune and use it as a torture device without even reading the background story TO the rune…”? I mean, WTF? Didn’t they read that Cassandra Clare herself said that Agony actually stands for Agony Disappear?
> 
> I’m so pissed at the writers for making that mistake, I can’t even put in into words.
> 
> I mean, you have fanfiction authors that do more research than that! Some even invent their own torture rune because they need it for the story (I’m talking about the Irak-Ta that Teumessian invented for their fic “feel it break” from the Boundless Saga that they wrote together with sarcasticfluentry [amazing story btw, check it out]).
> 
> Other than the striking resemblance this rune bears to a healing rune, there is also no way I can think of how that rune came to be. Clary sure as hell wouldn’t invent a torture rune and I doubt that Raziel would have given Jonathan Shadowhunter a rune that would let him torture other Shadowhunters. I mean seriously, what Angel would do that?  
> Rant over and out.
> 
> My tumblr post about this along with a picture can be found [here](https://jael-or-not.tumblr.com/post/163051947364/just-take-a-look-at-this-my-people-this-is-a).
> 
> \------------ angry rant over -------------
> 
> Leave your thoughts in the comments.
> 
> BTW, I've added some songs to previous chapters and I will add to every chapter where I find a fitting song.


	6. The Worst Date Ever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So Magnus and Alec have their first date. And Alec is hit hard by a certain realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last part of the Worldbuilding Document is now online. It goes a little bit into the history in this fic (especially what the Dark Ages were like, where the Presenting Ceremony comes from etc.) and not into genetics, so it's definitely worth checking out. I'm not going to assume you read it here in the story, but I do recommend reading it. Some things will just make more sense if you read it.
> 
> This chapter was super fun to write and I hope you like it. I know I'm later than usual, but I wanted to give you something after last night's episode, in case I needed to rant about something, but the episode was quite good. And I'm not picking a side. I do think Magnus overreacted and what he said were several low blows that were intended to hurt Alec, simply because Magnus kinda lost his temper there. Of course he was hurt and I understand where he's coming from, but Alec has a point too. He has responsibilities, if not to the clave, then certainly to the institute and to the shadowhunters. It is understandable that he didn't want to burden Magnus with the responsibility of keeping secrets, so he took that upon himself (which of course looks like a lack of trust on Alec's side to Magnus). Alec was caught between a rock and a hard place there. I understand both sides. This argument isn't black and white, it's something inbetween and I am able to see the bigger picture. I just hope that Magnus will come to that conclusion too. (plus, bless Luke for what he said.)
> 
> IMPORTANT: I might be changing the title of this story some time this week, so to all 331(!) subscibers (wow, never expected that many) don't be surprised if there's another story title in your mailbox next week. The title was a WIP-title because I really wanted to publish the first chapter. (I'm currently torn between "hearts on fire" and "love write it in the sky")

_I'll be someone in the morning, I don't want to be_  
_And the things that were so easy are getting hard for me_  
_I lived with things when I was younger_  
_I can't swallow now_  
_I'll lose everything I worked for_  
_If I don't fight it somehow_

**Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul – Save Me**

* * *

 Alec still couldn’t get over how beautiful Magnus was when he saw him standing in the entrance hall.

“You look stunning, my dear.” Magnus walked up to him and extended his hand as if to touch his arm, but dropped it with a small flourish, before it made contact. Maybe it was a bit too forward to touch the Omega. “Shall we?”

“Y-yeah.” Why did he always have to stutter in Magnus’ presence? But Magnus didn’t seem to mind.

“Well then… I have to admit, Alexander, that I haven’t really been here before. Anywhere you could recommend?” Magnus casually said, even though his nerves were going crazy.

“No… I don’t – I don’t usually… go out.” Oh gosh, now Magnus would think he was a freak.

But Magnus smiled. “Then at least I won’t embarrass myself too much because I asked you out without actually knowing where to go.”

“We could just… walk and see if we stumble across something?”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

As they walked down the side of the street, Alec desperately searched his mind for something to break the somewhat awkward silence that threatened to settle over them. But the only thing he could think of was what Izzy had told him. Twenty suitors.

“Is everything okay?” Magnus asked. “You seem tense.”

Alec’s head whipped around. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”

“Really?” Magnus couldn’t help but ask.

“It’s… yeah, nothing you would want to know about.”

Magnus stopped. “Alexander. If there’s something bothering you, why wouldn’t I want to know about it?”

Alec took a deep breath. “Because Alphas don’t like to know about their competition.”

“What kind of competition are we talking about?” Magnus’ smile bordered to a smirk.

“You know how I told you yesterday that I haven’t gotten that many suitors lined up? Guess what. Now I have over twenty Alphas trying to bribe me into choosing them as my mate.” Alec didn’t plan on sounding that bitter. _And there goes the subtlety, Izzy._

“You’re talking about courting. What makes you think that has anything to do with bribery?”

“Because I thought that I was going to be the one doing it!” _Way to go, Alec, way to go._ Alec sighed. “I really need a drink now.”

He quickly walked down the street, not really trying to get away from Magnus, but rather trying to end that conversation.

Magnus quickly followed. This would probably really be Alec’s worst date. Not even ten minutes in and he had already managed to piss the Omega off. Courting was supposed to be fun for everybody, a chance to get to know each other, not a chore. It wasn’t meant to pressure the Omega into anything! And this date wasn’t supposed to make Alec hate him. How was he supposed to turn this back around?

“Alexander.” Again, Magnus barely refrained from touching the Omega. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It isn’t your fault that I’m not exactly in a good mood.” Alec groaned.

“We can call this off, if you want and you can go home.” It almost pained Magnus to say it, but he didn’t want Alec to feel obligated to spend time with him either. “It’s fine if you don’t…”

“No!” Alec interrupted him. “No, I-I want this, us, here… I mean, this date. I…”

“Okay.” Magnus smiled. “That looks like a tavern. Wanna go get a drink now?”

Alec exhaled visibly. “Yes. That’s… umm, that’s good.”

They stepped through the doors and Magnus found them a small booth in a quiet corner. “What do you want to drink?” He asked.

“I… I don’t know. I’ve never liked the taste of alcohol that much.”

Magnus smiled. “Get yourself settled. I’ll be right back.”

Just now, Alec really had the time to process what had happened earlier. This had to be the worst date Magnus had ever been on. Why was he even still here with Alec? He had been nothing but grumpy and pissed the entire evening. Not the grateful and quiet Omega that he should be. But maybe Magnus was desperate, maybe he needed an Omega so badly that he would take anyone, even Alec. That was what it had to be. But this was what it had to be for every single one of the other Alphas too. They wanted him because he was a male Omega and they would take any male Omega they could get their hands on. They would never want him for him, just for his genitals. He wanted to throw up.

“I’m back!” Magnus placed something that looked like Coke in front of Alec and slid with his really fancy drink into the booth, facing Alec.

Alec forced a smile. He couldn’t let this revelation influence his behavior. At some time, he would have to choose one of them. Might as well figure out who was the least of twenty-two evils. Izzy had been right. This was supposed to be fun, but there was also an objective. This was a test. Was Magnus someone he was willing to live with, no matter what his real motives for courting him were?

This time, Alec smiled for real. He had a plan. He had a direction. He had a purpose. Finally, he found what he’d been missing the last days. He had a goal. Who was he going to choose, no matter why they had chosen him. Because really finding love, that dream had just shattered.

“Thank you, Magnus.” Alec took a sip. It wasn’t bad per se, but that didn’t keep him from grimacing.

 Magnus made an apologetic face, but couldn’t stop himself from grinning a bit. “You don’t have to drink it if you don’t like it.”

“It’s… interesting.” Alec opted for the diplomatic answer.

“So, Alexander, tell me a bit about yourself…” Magnus smiled.

“There’s… there’s nothing to tell.” Alec shrugged. Because really, what was there? His life consisted of his duty to the pack and the occasional hunting trips with Jace.

Magnus leaned back. “Well, then let me ask you a few questions. You don’t have to answer.”

Alec nodded. That would probably be better.

“What’s your favorite color?” Magnus really wanted to start off easy.

“I… I don’t know. I guess, black?”

Magnus sighed and shook his head. “Black isn’t a color, Alexander.”

“I don’t know. I don’t usually do colors.” Alec took another sip, even though he didn’t particularly like the drink.

“Let’s move on.” Magnus slightly raised an eyebrow. “Favorite ice cream flavor?”

Gosh, Alec could barely remember the last time he had ice cream. Slightly embarrassed, he stared at the table, before he whispered. “I… I’ve… I haven’t eaten ice cream… in years.” Cautiously, he looked up.

The look on Magnus’ face was priceless. Somewhat unbelieving, mixed with a hint of amusement and a pinch of pity, but primarily, utter horror. “What?” In his mind, he already made a note to take Alec out for ice cream should there be a second date. “Why?”

“I guess I never had the time.” Alec shrugged.

“What are you doing that you don’t have the time for ice cream?”

“I’m the oldest son. I led the pack when Dad was away. Not that I’ll be doing that much longer.” Alec traced the rim of his glass with his finger. How desperate was Magnus? Would he still want an Omega that was taught to be an Alpha his entire life? Someone that wasn’t a good little Omega?

“That’s impressive. Most male Omegas I met haven’t gotten that chance.”

“You’ve met others?” Alec asked. So Magnus had courted before and had gotten rejected? Of course that would make him even more desperate to find a mate.

“Yes, maybe two or three.” Magnus mistook Alec’s tone for simple curiosity. “And they’ve all been raised to disappear in the shadow of the Alpha and never learned how to be themselves. You’re different.”

Alec honestly didn’t know how to reply to that and grabbed his drink again. Different was good, right? That meant that Magnus maybe had a personal interest in Alec apart from the obvious. But Alec didn’t allow himself to think on. Because if not, the disappointment would be too great.

Somehow, Magnus managed to stir the talk away from anything heavy. He even managed to get a laugh out of Alexander when he shared a particularly embarrassing story of his sister Catarina. But it was getting late.

“I should get back soon.” Alec almost sounded sad. And in a way, he was. Despite everything, the date had turned out really nice.

Magnus nodded. “Of course. Do you want me to walk you back?”

“Only if you want. I’m gonna find my way back either way.”

“I’m more worried that I might not.” Magnus smiled. “This is your home town after all.”

Alec slid out of the booth. “Then let me walk you back.”

“I would love that, Alexander.” Magnus left a generous tip at the table and followed Alec out.

Alec barely said a word on the entire way back. Walking next to Magnus in the cool fall night was nice. Almost everything so far had been really nice. But had it been true? He had no way to tell how good or bad an actor Magnus was. He wasn’t good enough with people. Izzy was the one that could read people like a book, not him.

And then they were back at his doorstep.

“I have to admit, I rather enjoyed our late-night stroll. I rarely do that.”

“I usually do it in the forest. It helps calm my mind.” Alec admitted.

“I can see that. So, would you maybe like to go out for ice cream in the next few days? Since you haven’t had any for so long?”

By the way Alec looked away, Magnus could already tell that the answer would be ‘No’. Apparently, this date hadn’t gone as well as he’d thought.

“Magnus…” Alec took a deep breath. “I’d really like to, but…”

“You don’t have to explain anything to me, Alexander. If you don’t want to, that’s fine. I understand.”

“No, it’s…” Should he really bring up the other Alphas again?

“It’s okay. I get it.” Magnus said, but Alec shook his head.

“I’d really love to, Magnus. But… I think…”

“We’re too different?”

“That’s not…” He was really trying to tell Magnus something here, if he wouldn’t keep interrupting! “Would you stop putting words in my mouth?” Alec exclaimed frustrated. It wasn’t his fault that it took him some time to get the words right!

“My apologies.” Magnus almost looked ashamed.

“I just don’t think it would be fair. To the other Alphas.” Alec took a deep breath. There, he’d said it.

“Oh.” Magnus felt terribly relieved.

“Yeah. I don’t want to seem like I’m favoring anyone from the start. No matter whether or not I do.”

That last sentence could mean anything, but Magnus chose to interpret it in his favor. “So, I would have to go through the same process as everybody else. That’s perfectly reasonable, Alexander. So I guess this is goodnight?”

Alec smiled a bit. “Goodnight, Magnus.”

“Goodnight, Alexander.” Magnus blew a light kiss to Alec’s knuckles before turning away.

Was he really going to do this? Ever since he had become the Alpha of his pack and Etta had broken up with him, he had vehemently resisted the voices coming from within his council that had tried to persuade him into finding himself an Omega. Should he now, after four years, break with that resolution? For a male Omega, who he wasn’t even supposed to be courting? For Robert Lightwood’s son? Objectively, this seemed the worst idea ever. He could court anyone, man or woman. So why did it feel like this one, this one finally was the one for him? And of course, of all people, it just had to be…

He couldn’t even remember her. Not the sound of her voice or the rhythm of her footsteps. And if it wasn’t for the pictures, he wouldn’t even remember her face. Everything else had been taken away, stolen in the cruelest manner.

 _You shouldn’t have gotten sick, grandpa. She would have come home that night._ The thoughts of a child.

For years, it had always been the same. If grandpa hadn’t gotten sick, Mama would have come home. And one less person would have died. Killed by Alec’s… It seemed like an insult to Alec to call those people his parents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're now almost caught up with what I have written in advance. I love suggestions and guesses on how the story will go on, so go wild with assumptions in the comments! Maybe you'll inspire me...
> 
> What do you think happened with Magnus' mum? How did Robert and Maryse play a part in that?
> 
> And one scene was heavily inspired by the show... I think you know which one. (I didn't quote anything, but inspiration was there...)  
> What IS Alec's favourite ice cream flavour though? Go wild with suggestions in the comments


	7. In Defense Of Our Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once again, our favourite sibling trio works together. Robert is an asshole, Izzy talks to Magnus and love still feels out of reach. But hope always dies last.

_The sound of a fight_  
_Father has spoken_  
_We stole our new lives_  
_Through blood and name_  
_In defense of our dreams_

_**kings and queens – 30 seconds to mars** _

* * *

 

“How did the date with Magnus go?” Izzy squealed and plopped down on Alec’s bed.

The owner of said bed groaned. “Really, Iz? It’s what… five in the morning?”

“Yeah, you’re getting up in ten minutes anyway! So, how did it go?”

“It was… fine, I guess.” Alec shrugged and rubbed his eyes.

“C’mon, big bro… What did he say?” She looked at him mischievously. “Did he kiss you?” When Alec just looked at her weird, she added. “Oh, did you kiss him?”

“No!” Alec said, now with his full on ‘wtf’-face.

“Okay.” Izzy clasped her hands together. “Is there gonna be a second date?”

“Izzy…” Alec groaned.

“What? I just wanna know…”

“Yeah, at five in the morning. I’m gonna go for a run with Jace, then I’m gonna shower and then you can ask me anything you want.” He wasn’t gonna get rid of her anyways.

Izzy grinned happily as she finally left the room.

But it didn’t come to that talk, because as soon as Alec and Jace stepped foot into their home again, they were greeted by their father. “Alec, I need to talk to you.”

Alec really wanted to take that shower now, but Robert’s voice made it clear that he was supposed to come with him immediately.

As soon as they were situated in his office, Robert spoke. “Your mother told me that you went out with Magnus Bane last night?”

Alec immediately picked up the hidden accusation. “Yes, I did. He asked me for a date and I accepted.” He looked his father straight in the eyes.

“This was not what we talked about.”

“No, because we didn’t talk at all.” Anger was slowly bubbling up in Alec’s chest. Anger that he had suppressed since the day of the ceremony. “And the things we _did_ talk about were the things _you_ blatantly ignored. I told you I didn’t want to lie about being an Omega. And you…” The cold anger welling up made him choke on his own words. “You presented me as a Theta!”

“If you and Izzy had just played along, everything would be fine right now. But you had to be selfish and childish. This isn’t about you, this is about the future of our pack! Because of your immaturity, other packs are calling off our trading agreements!” Robert took a deep breath. “You were the one that caused this, so I figured out a way how you can fix this again. You will break off any contact to Magnus Bane and you will take Sebastian Morgenstern as your mate. This should secure us the alliance of at least one important pack.”

Alec raised an eyebrow. “And what if I refuse?”

“You won’t. Because you know that the duty to the pack comes before anything. I already talked with Valentine. He’s preparing everything right now so we can make it official.”

Alec was so very close to exploding. So this was where his father had been the entire week! He had made plans to mate him off to the nearest Alpha without even thinking of asking him! Where was the much-emphasized consent that everyone talked about when it came to Omegas? When did he become a political instrument to save what could be saved, when his father himself had been the one to cause this mess?

But his anger made him calm, eerily calm. Without a word, he turned around and left the room. He was so ready to kill somebody.

“So, now tell me! What happened yesterday?” Izzy chirped.

“Geez, Izzy. Could you just leave that topic be for a _minute_?!” Alec snapped.

Taken aback, Izzy just turned and walked away.

Even though Alec felt sorry for taking his anger out on his sister, he didn’t call after her. Instead, he went to the gym. When he was done, three of the punching bags were no longer usable.

But the time he had had to think, had given him an idea. He just needed Izzy. Luckily, he didn’t have to look for her for too long, since he basically ran into her as soon as he left the training room.

“Look, I’m sorry, Alec. I know I can be too pushy at times. I just…”

Alec cut her off. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. It’s just that Dad apparently decided that I have to mate with Sebastian Morgenstern. Which is why I need your help.”

And just like that, Izzy’s good mood was restored. “What do you need me to do?” She asked.

 “Can you organize the courting as fast as possible? And can you make it look like you did it yesterday?”

“Brother…” Izzy grinned. “…of course. Who do you think I am? Some lame ass event manager? I’m Isabelle Sophia Lightwood. I’m done before you can even bat an eye.”

Alec sighed relieved. “Thanks, Izzy.”

Izzy had already whipped out her note book and started scribbling. “So… because we have to do it that fast, we don’t have as many options. Plus, we have to find a way that Dad can’t cancel. The easiest way to do that would be to invite everybody here. Let’s say… the day after tomorrow? Then we have today and tomorrow to prepare everything and to plan what we actually wanna do with them when they arrive.” She looked up. “Alec?”

“Right now, I’m willing to let you do almost anything you want if it means I get to choose my own mate.”

“Oh, Alec!” Izzy hugged him tightly.

“What’s going on here?” Jace interrupted. “What did Dad want from you?”

“Touchy subject…” Izzy warned.

Alec shook his head and gave them a quick rundown of the talk.

Jace was completely out of it. “That’s crazy! You’re not doing it, right?”

Alec frowned. “You mean letting Dad decide who I’m gonna spend the rest of my life with? Who’s kids I’m gonna have? You know that what Dad is trying to do comes really close to breaking the law, right?”

“What makes him even think he can do that to you?” Izzy exclaimed.

“He thinks my sense of duty to the pack will make me do everything he says. And he’s right, in a way. If I have to, I’m gonna go and renegotiate every single one of those trading agreements. I’m gonna have the better chances anyways, since they’re not gonna see me as a liar. But I’m not gonna mate with anyone to save just one.”

Jace clasped Alec’s shoulder. “That’s my big brother! Anything I can do to help?”

Alec looked at Izzy and raised an eyebrow. “Coordination is your expertise.”

“Actually, yes.” Izzy turned to Jace. “We need to accommodate about thirty Alphas in town by tomorrow. Could you see if we can manage that?”

Jace smiled. “I’ll look what I can do.”

“Thirty?” Alec asked, wide eyed.

“I’m just making sure we have enough space for everyone. You wouldn’t want to miss your Prince Charming because he doesn’t have a room.” She smirked. “Speaking of which… Has Magnus said anything about the courting?”

Alec bit his lip. “I told him that he would need to do it the same way as everyone else. He didn’t say if he was coming or not.”

“Oh…” Izzy’s face fell a bit. “Do you think he’s interested?”

Alec shook his head. “I don’t know. I mean… he asked for another date.”

“And you said no? Alec, what’s gotten into you?”

“I didn’t say no… I just… I said it wouldn’t be fair to the others.”

Izzy sighed. “You and your sense of justice… It’s unbelievable.” She pulled Alec back into the gym and closed the doors. “So, I was thinking. You want to find a mate for life in courting, right?” She cocked an eyebrow at Alec.

“Yeah, I- I guess…” Alec shrugged.

“No, Alec. If that’s not what you’re looking for, you have to tell me. That’s important. I would _never_ try to set you up for something that you don’t want. So, what do you want to come out of this?”

“I… I don’t know. But mating seems so… permanent. Not even Mum and Dad did that.”

“Okay. No mating.” Izzy chewed on the back of her pen. “What about a marriage proposal?”

“What? No. I’m not getting engaged to anyone.”

“So, just boyfriend then.” Izzy sighed.

“Look, Izzy. I know you want this to be epic and magical and like a real-life fairytale, but I don’t think I can do that. I just want… maybe get to know them a little?”

“Am I getting this right…” She plopped into a chair. “This are the ‘preliminaries’ to who gets to court you? And you only chose one, or more than one?”

“I don’t know, Izzy! I know everything about how to get an Omega to like you, which gifts work the best, how you’re supposed to approach them and what not, but I have no _clue_ on how to be an actual Omega. All I know is that there are strangers coming here and that I’m supposed to find the _love of my life, my sun and my stars_ or something. But what if none of them is ‘the one’?” _What if there’s no one who I can trust?_ They were all here for his dick after all. Just because he was a rarity. Because they couldn’t find anyone else. This wasn’t a matter of the heart, this was a matter of the mind. Who was going to respect him enough?

“So you’re saying that you’re maybe not choosing anyone?”

Alec nodded.

“Ookay… but in case you choose someone, what do you want to do then? I need to tell those Alphas something.”

“Tell them… tell them, I’m going back to their pack with them. To get to know their people.”

Izzy looked disappointed. “That was an idea I had for during the selection process… but if that’s as far as you wanna go, okay.”

“Maybe a one-on-one vacation?”

“As final prize or as a test during courting?”

Alec completely ignored that Izzy just called it a ‘prize’ as if that was a goddamn casting show. “Maybe towards the end, when there are two or three Alphas left… Spending an entire day with someone should tell me a lot about them.”

“Okay…” Izzy scribbled something down again. “I already had an idea for the first selection.” Then she seemed to think of something else and her face fell. “But you’re still trying to find someone you might want to fall in love with, right?”

Love. The hopeful look on his sister’s face hurt more than he had expected. Because there was no love for him. Lust, want, desire… yes, those things would maybe be there, but overall, it was just the Alpha’s desperate attempt to find a mate, any mate. But was he still trying, despite the odds?

“Yeah.” Funny, how hope always seemed to die last.

“So, as I said, I had an idea…” Izzy picked up again.

Twenty minutes later, they had finally agreed on a plan. It was a big compromise on both sides, not as flashy as Izzy would have liked and still way too fancy for the low-key courting that Alec would have preferred. Alec decided to lay low for the rest of the day and pretend to be sulking about his father’s decision.

Izzy’s day looked completely different. After compiling the chronological list of all suitors, she called all those who didn’t provide an e-mail address and wrote an official e-mail for everyone, inviting them to show up for the start of the courting process. Everyone who wouldn’t show up on the designated day would automatically revoke his invitation.

But before she hit send, there was one last call to make. She still had the number in her contacts from planning the Presenting Ceremony and to be honest, her heart did beat a bit faster as she hit the green button. After two rings, he picked up.

_“Magnus Bane… What can I do for you?”_

So formal… But then Izzy remembered that he most likely hadn’t saved her number and thought this was a business call. Which it technically was, but that was beside the point. Still, she kept her tone strictly formal. “Yes, hello, Mr. Bane. Isabelle Lightwood speaking. I’m Alec’s sister?”

 _“Oh, Isabelle… I remember. He mentioned you last night. Is something wrong with Alexander?”_ Izzy smiled at the worry in his voice.

“No, there’s nothing wrong with _Alec_.” Alec hated to be called Alexander, so why should Magnus suddenly call him that? “I’m organizing the courting and he mentioned that you might be interested?”

 _“Oh, he did?”_ This time, his tone was unreadable.

“He also said that you hadn’t made your mind up yet.” She paused when she realized that she had basically quoted an Adele song. “Anyways. Something came up that made us move up our schedule. I would need your decision by tonight.”

_“I’ll come.”_

Izzy raised her eyebrows at the quick response. “Okay. I’ll send you the e-mail with the details. Please consider a stay of at least two weeks if not longer, should you be among the finalists.”

_“I will. Thank you… for calling.”_

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you the day after tomorrow then. Goodbye.”

 _“Goodbye.”_ A small smile tugged on the corners of her lips. This was going to be so much fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sadly, I have to announce that there won't be any updates in August. I'm terribly busy with my final thesis for my highschool diploma. ('A thesis in highschool?' you ask? Let me introduce to you, the Austrian School System, that wants to torture poor high school students. Yes, I have to write a fucking THESIS.) The only reason why I was able to keep up the 1 chapter per week updating schedule was because I had written so much in advance that I didn't have to write much. But the pressure is increasing and we've now officially caught up with everything I've written (except for the chapters that lie really far in the future that I wrote because my muse was striking).
> 
> So, we will probably be back on 1 chapter per week in September, but there won't be any updates this August. I'm really sorry, but I have to get this FUCKING thesis done. I'll leave you with a parting gift though. There's a sneak peak into the next chapter: (Although you'll probably be better off not reading it bc it's a cliffhanger, I know, I'm cruel)
> 
> \--------- SNEAK PEAK ----------------
> 
> _Don’t worry_  
>  _Little worrier_  
>  _Don’t hurry the hurt_  
>  _Let the moment burn_  
>  _And just take your time_  
>  _This is your life_  
>  _Please don’t let your tears run dry_  
>  _**Little Worrier – Kina Grannis**_
> 
> * * *
> 
> They made it almost to lunchtime before hell broke loose.
> 
> A furious Robert rushed into Alec’s office and Alec barely had the time to close the laptop before the screaming started. “Twenty-five Alphas? You invited twenty-five Alphas here into this house?! After we agreed on you mating with Sebastian? Who do you think you are? I always knew that Omega’s were little whores before they got tamed by an Alpha, but I didn’t think you would have the audacity to go against our agreement! This…” Robert lowered his voice. “This will not happen. You have until tonight to pack your things. We’re leaving tomorrow at 5 AM and you will be mating with Sebastian as soon as we reach the Circle Pack.”
> 
> \------------ END SNEAK PEAK ------------
> 
> See you as soon as I'm done with the thesis :)
> 
> (I'll probably add a third part to the series with a "love write it in the sky"-playlist, probably before I'm done with the next chapter, so go subscribe to the series if you don't wanna miss it.)

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are appreciated! Let me know what you liked, what you didn't like and where I can improve.
> 
> Any comment you write will be read by me and I do usually answer.
> 
> Since this story became way bigger than I imagined, I'm currently looking for a beta reader. You would get the chapters as I write them and I would talk to you about the plot and everything. If any of you guys is interested, hit me up on any of my social media:  
> tumblr: [jael-or-not](https://jael-or-not.tumblr.com/)   
> Instagram: [keepthekettleon](https://www.instagram.com/keepthekettleon/)
> 
> So I guess now it's time to say goodbye and see you next time.


End file.
